UConn men’s basketball coach Dan Hurley has announced the additions of Paul Wettemann III, Mathew Johnson and Mamadou Diarra to fill open positions on his support staff.
Wettemann now has the position of Director of Men’s Basketball Administration, Johnson is the program’s Video and Scouting Coordinator and Diarra takes over as the Director of Player Development.
“It’s just like players,” Hurley said. “Hopefully you can bring in young people on your staff, develop them, whether they’re graduate positions, and then as you lose people, as they move up and on with their career, you reward people that you’ve developed that are young and talented.”
Wettemann, a native of Guilford, Conn., is starting his seventh year with the UConn program, working his way up from team manager as an undergraduate, to graduate head manager, to program coordinator, to assistant director of men’s basketball operations and now to director of administration. In his new position, Wettemann will deal with administrative policies within the department as well as budget preparations, travel arrangements, and the day-to-day operation of the program. He has an undergraduate degree from UConn as well as a master’s degree in Sport Management.
“Paul is a guy that we inherited that we thought was a special person,” Hurley said. “He does a great job with all the administrative stuff. I don’t know if the man sleeps. He’s really outstanding.”
Johnson, originally from Columbus, N.J., is in his fourth year at UConn, previously serving as a grad assistant and program assistant. As video and scouting coordinator, he will be in charge of film production for the team, as well as the coordination of recruiting efforts for the program. He has a degree in accounting from the University of Tampa, where he had a solid four-year basketball career, and a master’s degree from UConn in Sport Management.
“Mat is somebody I have deep ties with,” Hurley said. “He’s from Jersey and he comes from a basketball family. We have the same circle we kind of grew up with in the game. Rewarding him with the video spot is what you hope to do.”
Diarra is beginning his fourth year on the staff, following one season as a student assistant coach and two as a graduate assistant. As director of player development, Diarra will have close interaction with the student-athletes, initiating, developing and participating in off-court activities that teach life skills. He will also assist the team’s academic counselor with scheduling and monitoring of study halls and organize community service events. Diarra, from Queens, N.Y., played in 33 games for UConn before chronic knee conditions forced him to give up his playing career. He has a degree in Urban and Community Studies from UConn, as well as a master’s degree in Sport Management.
“Mo is a special guy with a special personality,” Hurley said. “He understands the game, but he’s also great with people. He’s going to be excellent.”
In addition, J.R. Lynch, from Hoboken, N.J., a 2019 graduate of Hartford, where he had a stellar four-year playing career, and Matt Trudeau, from Mansfield, a 2020 graduate of Central Connecticut, where he was a team manager for the Blue Devils, have been added as graduate assistants. They join Tim Russo (Tampa ’21), who returns for his second year as a grad assistant.
https://uconnhuskies.com/news/2022/6/15/positions-filled-on-mens-basketball-staff.aspx
